The following open letter concerning hydraulic gas fracturing in Ireland was recently sent to the Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources. Several other people have written to the minister and have received no reply.

This is an important issue because it concerns contaminating the land and water for the benefit of just a few over the rights and interests of many and protection of the environment.

Dear Minister Pat Rabbitte,

Unfortunately we had to read that you granted an onshore Licensing
Option for hydraulic gas fracturing to Tamboran Resources PTY Ltd over
parts of Cavan Leitrim and Sligo last year.

Hydraulic gas fracturing, known as "fracking" has not only a worse
carbon footprint than coal
<http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1215/1...ml&gt;,
it poses several severe risks to human health and environment. I will
cite a few of the overwhelming amount of expertise done on this subject:
TEDX <http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/chemicals.introducti...hp&gt;
(The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Inc.) has found out that far more
than 500 different chemicals are used in the fracking procedure. Many of
them very toxic and carcinogenic. The "associated pollution has reached
the stage where it is contaminating essential life support systems -
water, air, and soil - and causing harm to the health of humans,
wildlife, domestic animals, and vegetation".

The Councils of the involved counties, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo,
Fermanagh, Clare and Donegal are all unanimously passing a motion to ban
fracking in their counties. I am questioning why you are seemingly
ignoring the will of the vast majority of the people there.

"Even an aggressive development of gas shales in Europe could only
contribute to the European gas supplies at one-digit percentage share at
best. It will not reverse the continuing trend of declining domestic
production and rising import dependency. Its influence on the European
greenhouse gas emissions will remain small if not negligible, or could
even be negative if other more promising projects are skipped due to
wrong incentives and signals."

Keeping all that in mind, the only decent consequence should be that
Ireland is following France and our government is deciding to _*ban
hydraulic fracturing in Ireland*_.

I hope you will listen to the science and to the people who will have to
face the consequences of such a risky technology which achieves a short
term profit for a few, but does not take account of the medium and
long-term consequences. Fracking is counter-productive in terms of
solutions for our future energy politics.

For the vital future of our country, I hope you will do everything in
your power to _*ban fracking in Ireland*_.

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